July 1, 2026 Deadline: What Every Company in Vietnam Must Know About Electronic Labor Contracts
July 1, 2026 is now less than four months away. For companies operating in Vietnam, that date carries real legal weight: it marks the hard deadline for transitioning to electronic labor contracts under Decree 337. If your company still signs paper contracts — or stores digital contracts in a way that doesn't meet the new technical requirements — you are not compliant.
This article explains exactly what the law requires, who it affects, and what you should do right now.
What Is Decree 337?
Decree 337/2024/ND-CP is the implementing regulation for Vietnam's electronic transaction law as it applies to labor relationships. It mandates that labor contracts between employers and employees be concluded, stored, and managed in electronic form using a government-designated platform.
Decree 337 does not exist in isolation. It connects directly to Law 91/2025/QH15 — Vietnam's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), which came into effect on January 1, 2026. Under the PDPL, labor contracts contain personal data (name, ID numbers, salary, address, health information) that must be collected, stored, and processed lawfully. Electronic labor contracts subject to Decree 337 are therefore also personal data records subject to the PDPL.
In short: getting your labor contracts right means complying with two overlapping legal frameworks simultaneously.
Who Does It Affect?
Every employer with employees in Vietnam. This includes:
- Vietnamese-owned SMEs — including sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, and joint-stock companies
- Foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) — wholly foreign-owned companies, joint ventures, and representative offices
- Multinational regional offices — even if your headquarters is abroad, if you have staff working in Vietnam under Vietnamese labor law, Decree 337 applies
There is no size exemption. A company with two employees and a company with two thousand employees face the same requirement. The deadline is universal.
What Exactly Must You Do?
Compliance with Decree 337 has three core components:
1. Register on the National Electronic Labor Contract Platform
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) operates the national platform for electronic labor contracts. Employers must register their company on this platform before they can issue compliant electronic contracts.
2. Issue Contracts in a Compliant Electronic Format
From July 1, 2026, new labor contracts must be:
- Concluded through the MOLISA platform or a certified equivalent
- Digitally signed by both parties using a valid digital signature (chữ ký số)
- Stored in a way that preserves integrity and allows retrieval for inspection
Paper contracts signed after July 1, 2026 will not satisfy the legal requirement — even if they are subsequently scanned and uploaded.
3. Migrate Existing Contracts (or Re-Issue Them)
For contracts signed before the deadline, MOLISA guidance indicates that companies should either migrate existing records to the electronic system or re-issue contracts in compliant form when contracts come up for renewal. Check the latest MOLISA circulars for specific transition provisions, as implementation guidance continues to be released.
Common Misconceptions
"My paper contracts are fine — we've been doing this for years." They were fine. After July 1, 2026, new contracts must be electronic. Existing contracts should be migrated or re-issued at renewal.
"We already use e-signatures, so we're compliant." Not necessarily. Using a general e-signature tool (DocuSign, Adobe Sign, etc.) does not automatically satisfy Decree 337 if the contracts are not managed through the designated government platform or a certified equivalent. The requirement is platform-specific, not just signature-format-specific.
"GDPR compliance covers our data obligations in Vietnam." No. The PDPL (Law 91/2025/QH15) is a distinct legal framework with its own consent requirements, data subject rights, data breach notification rules, and cross-border transfer restrictions. GDPR compliance does not substitute for PDPL compliance.
"I have until 2027 — I read it somewhere." The deadline is July 1, 2026. It has not been extended. Plan accordingly.
How Google Workspace Users Are Especially at Risk
Many Vietnamese companies — and virtually all foreign-invested companies — rely on Google Workspace for day-to-day operations. This creates specific compliance risks that are easy to overlook:
Labor contracts scattered across Drive. If your HR team stores signed contracts as PDFs in a shared Google Drive folder, those files likely don't meet Decree 337's integrity and access-control requirements. Drive is a general-purpose file store, not a certified electronic labor contract system.
Employee PII in unclassified documents. Labor contracts contain personal data: national ID numbers, tax codes, bank accounts, health declarations. If these are in Drive folders without proper access controls or data classification, you may already be in breach of the PDPL's data minimization and access limitation principles.
Email chains as "evidence of agreement." Some companies finalize contract terms by email. Under Decree 337, an email chain is not a valid electronic labor contract — even if both parties confirm terms in writing.
No audit trail for contract versions. The PDPL requires that you can demonstrate lawful consent and processing. If employee data exists across multiple unversioned Drive documents and email threads, reconstructing a compliant audit trail is very difficult.
A Google Workspace compliance audit should be a core part of your Decree 337 readiness work — not an afterthought.
Three Things to Do Right Now
1. Register on the MOLISA electronic labor contract platform. This is the non-negotiable first step. Registration takes time and may require company documentation. Start now so the platform account is ready before July 1.
2. Audit your existing labor contract inventory. List every employee and where their contract lives. Identify which contracts are on paper, which are digitized but non-compliant, and which (if any) are already in a compliant system.
3. Assess your Google Workspace data posture. Run a scan of your Drive environment to locate documents containing employee personal data. Identify folders without appropriate access controls. Understand what PII you're holding and whether your current storage meets PDPL requirements.
The Bottom Line
July 1, 2026 is not a soft deadline. Decree 337 is a structural change to how labor relationships are documented in Vietnam — and it sits alongside the PDPL's broad personal data requirements. Companies that begin compliance work now will have enough time to do it properly. Companies that wait until June will be scrambling.
If you're unsure where your company stands, CompliScan offers a free Google Workspace risk assessment. We'll scan your environment, identify compliance gaps related to Decree 337 and the PDPL, and deliver a detailed report within 48 hours. Request your free assessment →
Last updated: March 25, 2026. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified Vietnamese labor law attorney for advice specific to your situation.